Blessing of the Curse
by mysticLegend11
Summary: .GaaraxOC. He was once feared; she was once loved. He was done running from his past; she wanted to escape her future. He would become the next Kazekage, her the next feudal lord... assuming they aren't sent to Hell first.
1. Prologue

:Prologue:

Those eyes.

Ice blue. Like glaciers of a cold, alien planet. They were so pale his victims saw a reflection of themselves in them, of what they had done—or not done—to create the monstrosity before them.

They were cold, heartless, the eyes of a psychopath. Inside burned the scorching intensity of brutality and hatred. A fervent passion lay restrained underneath the ocean of blood. A passion to spread the suffering wrought upon him.

The abomination who soaks the sands with blood, the atrocity who harnesses the monster lost in the eons of chaos…

Gaara of the Desert.

It had not always been like this. There was a time when the sands shielded him with maternal protectiveness, the days when a light shone through the pain, the light of an uncle's smile. There was a time when his small hands carried the attempt to make amends to an unexplainably harsh world.

Shattered were those brief days. Where a dim light first appeared at the end of the tunnel, it turned out to be the unforgiving, unsurpassable scorch of the sun, a nova that consumed every particle of his soul.

Scattered in those ashes, a soul was reborn. There came the understanding of true loneliness, and how that intangible blessing kept slipping through his cursed fingers, that blessing called love.

* * *

A/N: Bleh, this is going to have to do. I haven't published anything here in freaking forever, so I decided that maybe it's about time. I had originally planned to upload this story when I had finished it, but I realized I'm going to need some extrinsic motivation. I started this story for NaNoWriMo in November, so you could say I've been working on it for a while. I'd say that ninety percent of it is complete, so I'm going to update about once a week (probably on a Friday or Saturday).

Thank you so much to Friglit, my beta reader for this story, for her innumerable patience and hard work consider she's a uni student and all. She has a GaaraxOC story as well, and I am very much indebted to her.


	2. Chapter 1

_Kuni no Kaze_: Wind Country

Matsue: capital of _Kuni no Kaze_

_Daimyo_: feudal lord

:Chapter One:

"Excuse me, you will not defame my cooking before even taking one bite!" Temari shouted bitterly into Kankurou's ear. He eagerly backed away, his eyebrows twitching at the so-called meal before them. It was a dark brown slob of _something_ that Kankurou wasn't too sure of. The burnt smell pervaded the room, making his nose wrinkle in disgust.

"Is it... edible?" Kankurou crouched down to stare at it with incredulous eyes.

"Don't be so picky, sheesh. I'm sure it tastes perfectly fine." Gingerly, she picked up a spoon and scooped up a small amount. "See?" Bravely, she brought the spoon up to her mouth. Gaara grunted in amusement. Kankurou was staring intently, like as if she was ready to commit suicide. She opened her mouth, bringing the spoon onto her tongue—

"All jounin must report immediately to the council of elders." The village speakers from the streets outside boomed, jolting them in shock. "I repeat, all jounin must report immediately to the council of elders. An emergency has occurred, and must be dealt with promptly. All jounin must report immediately to the council of elders, without exception. I apologize for this interruption."

Kankurou couldn't believe his sister's luck. Saved by the most importune event possible. A wave of relief passed through Temari's face, although she feigned annoyance at being interrupted. She placed the spoon down and threw the plate in the sink, ignoring the mess she made. "This better be something good."

Gaara's pale eyes grew pensive. "When was the last time they had such an announcement?"

"Who knows? They've gathered so much dust that I'm amazed they haven't collapsed from the weight." Kankurou snorted.

Instinctively, something told Gaara that something thick was brewing, like when the air was thick and tense before an incoming thunderstorm.

"Then what are we dawdling for? Let's go." Cocking an eyebrow, Temari smirked, grabbed her giant iron fan, and vanished in a puff of white smoke.

***

The council room, held under the empty Kazekage's office, was rather spacious with an oval table in the middle. Barely half of the chairs, however, were filled. Two decades ago this room had been bustling with the world's finest shinobi, but now after so much backpedaling development, their numbers have grown scarce, but their skill remained undiminished. The reason for this was not a lack of ability, but rather the bickering politics of Sunagakure's place in the Wind Country.

Cloaked in black, the five members of the council of elders sat in the front of the room. Wrinkles etched their faces, but their eyes held wisdom only granted with age. The atmosphere was completely silent, not a whisper to go around. The gravity of the situation was showed on each of the jonin's faces.

Her movements filled with deliberate melancholy, Chiyo placed her hands on the table, her eyes alert. "As you all know, the number of able shinobi has been decreasing over the past years. This is only because Lord Kojiki Katsumoto, our feudal lord, has been steadily cutting Sunagakure's budget. This has driven us to war with Konohagakure, caused the death of our Fourth Kazekage, and diminished this once great city."

"Get to the point, you old hag. Stop babbling on about things that don't concern us," one of the younger ninjas spat. Gaara turned to face Zapuke, a ninja infamously known for his legendary disrespectfulness and ego. A faded scar from his left eyebrow to his jaw was still visible on the scowling man's face. The shinobi, Gaara noted, had never failed a mission, even if it meant the death of all his comrades.

"Well, I guarantee you that this news will concern you," Chiyo answered, unaffected by Zapuke's mannerisms. "Ten years ago, Lady Kojiki Lapize died of an illness. Yesterday, Lord Kojiki Katsumoto has also been killed." Shock reverberated through the room, surprise visibly shown on their concerned faces. Abruptly, whispers and questions erupted to penetrate the silence.

"Order, please," Chiyo demanded, her lip twitching in impatience. Over the multitude of concerned whispers, she shouted, "Decorum!" All of the attention immediately snapped back to the scowling elder. "One at a time, please."

Temari, famous for being outspoken, inquired, "How, exactly, was he killed?"

"They appear to have died from food poisoning, but all of their meals are checked by his retinue before digestion. Mostly like, it was a foreign substance that they may or may not have known he was consuming," Chiyo responded carefully.

"So let me get this straight: the feudal lord got murdered and now we're having a party?" Zapuke snapped.

"This is only the beginning, impatient one," Ebizo, Chiyo's brother, answered. His gray, droopy moustache twitched as he spoke. "The sole heir to the throne is a young daughter."

"The elite families of _Kuni no Kaze_ are not going to accept this," Temari instantly blurted out.

"Let me finish, young'un," Ebizo continued. "To protect her life, she has been raised in the city of Tsumago in the Kiso Valley. She must make the journey from Tsumago to Matsue safely, where she will be crowned the new feudal lord."

"So let me guess... she needs a shinobi escort?" Zapuke interrupted, a smirk imprinted in his rugged features.

"Did I not already ask you to let me finish first?" Ebizo was shaking with elderly exasperation. "Yes, a small team of shinobi must escort her safely. Her death will bring unimaginable consequences. The elite are fighting among themselves and a civil war may erupt. Tensions in Matsue are already boiling, and a slight push will plunge the city in bloodshed and chaos."

"Zapuke, you seem to enjoy challenging missions. What do you think?" Chiyo prompted slyly.

Zapuke did not take long to say aloud what everyone knew in their hearts. "She doesn't stand a chance. This meeting is pointless. Even if she does get to Matsue successfully, the strongest political families will cut off her head the moment she takes a step in their territory. It's best to just forget about her. If there is a power struggle, it'll benefit Sunagakure, will it not? Shinobi will be hired on all sides, and we can manage to clinch more influence on the next leader. Her life is a lost cause."

"_You _are a lost cause."

Silence descended upon the room, tensions boiling between two powerful statures. Temari and Kankurou gaped in shock at Gaara's sudden outburst.

Zapuke's icy glare was enough to send any sane human running away for his life. But not this human, this Shukaku-vessel, this shinobi called Gaara. Zapuke forced through his teeth, "Hm, I didn't quite catch that. Would you mind repeating that to my face?"

Gaara's impassive gaze didn't falter. His slim figure only radiated strength and confidence. "I accept this mission."

***


End file.
